Colliseum/Solo Instances

[BillyKaplan]

As for the game being heavily group-content, it'll stay that way unless they'll add some solo content, which is what I suggest.

There's "add some solo content", and there's "turn this into a single player game with optional group content". Be sure not to lose sight of this difference, this is still an MMORPG. I'm all in favor of adding more solo content, but I doubt they'll suddenly tilt this heavily in that direction.

Yes, the educative part of the suggestion would have much less impact on healers. It would teach them to better manage their mana, cooldowns like Largesse and DPS and heal, but it would not help them get better at helping others.

It arguably can, though it would require a change to how solo encounters are currently implemented. So much of your kit is wasted because the NPCs aren't considered party members. However, we've seen via the Squad missions that that doesn't have to be the case. Have solo content automatically build a party to include you and the NPCs so your group spells and buffs work on them. This can be done, even in the early AST quests you could use your cards on the NPCs, the text instructions even tell you to do it. They just need to make this a more framework function instead of something that seems to work only in rare and few instances.

[Soupa]

No, not really. Those that couldn't do it, didn't,

Good, the way it should be.

Rotation learning can be done on a training dummy...if you either checked the walkthrough for your class to learn it first, use a parser, or spend a lot of time doing the calculations manually. Not to mention, this just trains the basic ability to do that rotation when you are not interrupted, but speaks nothing of your ability to maintain it (or as close to it as possible) when you are in actual combat where there are mechanics and attacks which you need to adapt to.

This could/should be learned passively while playing and we have the hall of the novice on top of that.

As for the game being heavily group-content, it'll stay that way unless they'll add some solo content, which is what I suggest.

I enjoy it now the way it is, its why I play online games to group with people. If people want solo content that badly they shouldn't be playing this game, not to say there shouldn't be any solo content but no way as large of a shift as you're suggesting.

Yes, the educative part of the suggestion would have much less impact on healers. It would teach them to better manage their mana, cooldowns like Largesse and DPS and heal, but it would not help them get better at helping others. However, healers have means of training their main focal point, while DPS must go blindly by trail and error, use parsers which are not supported officially, or have very good instincts for these kinds of things.

Again all suggested and done in hall of the novice. If you are a level 70 healer and are still having trouble managing mana with lucid dream on the bar you might wanna reevaluate your class choice. Largesse is a purely situational cooldown as well, its for large incoming damage during fights which you'll have to play to figure out anyway, I rarely need it in normal content. As for the trail and error thing, welcome to FFxiv may I take your order?

[Aylis]

Healers especially would get barely anything out of this because they're supposed to be taking care of a party. Again good ideas(I like the team battles) but not much practical use.

Sadly I have to agree, while I would adore some interesting and viable solo content and some of the ideas the OP listed were good. I could see balancing issues everywhere happening due to this being a trinity based game, not an action everyone can do a little bit of everything there are no real roles type of game. Being challenged is one thing and all fine and good. Getting into a solo content situation where no matter how good you are, your choice in class is your downfall is another. Running into a brick wall is no fun at all.

[Shouko]

1. As long as it was more of an alternative to raiding.
2. If they balanced it around non healing jobs as well as self healing ones.
3. Make it have different tiers or progressive (potd style) not just straight out hardcore, (savage raids for that)
4. 70 only content.

Personally I'd rather them make the older content like primals, A1+,C1+, etc more soloable outside of a tank job, say tune it for soloing.

[NephthysVasudan]

The lack of solo content is part of the problem as to why the players skill level on average is so low. Without anything to challenge, make a player learn their class properly, they are not very likely to learn. Throwing easy content at them will just make them think they are "good". Throwing group content will pair them with good players (making the run smooth and them think it was thanks to them too) or with bad (making the run a tragedy, making them think that the others couldn't keep up).

Let me get this straight.

You're complaining there's a lack of solo-able content.
Yet you propose group content via duels and such?

Duels: Already exists.... its called POTD, Overworld - Those simulation fields at at the Fringes and Dravanian Hinterlands.
Team Battles: PVP???? Huh? (Looks at the Wolfs Pier)
Tournament: Isn't that what the Feast is? And the new PVP stuff they launched? sure a more formal ladder could be formed...but...wait....isn't there already something like that?

With all due respect...I think you kinda missed the part where this is an MMORPG (Massive Multi-player Online Role playing Game)

Now yes...it would be nice to solo most content...but the content was specifically designed to be done in a group environment...aside from the main scenario quests and such.
I get where your coming from..but your foundation is very....weak.

The best way for players to get better...is to play with other players...always.
Yes its a mixed bag and randoms tend to be nasty for me....but its also how you meet good people too.

If you walked into this thinking its solo and don't want to be around people..your going to have a hard time getting anywhere.

*TRYING to be helpful here*

[kikix12]

Yet you propose group content via duels and such?

Eh...why make a content purely for solo when it can be for both solo and party?! Seriously, wasting money for artificial reasons like that is not what I am a fan of.

Duels: Already exists.... its called POTD, Overworld - Those simulation fields at at the Fringes and Dravanian Hinterlands.

Are you serious?! I specifically mentioned palace of the dead as worthless, since whatever you can do solo, you can do a lot better with a party. Not to mention, there are many mobs that have barely any mechanics (except for the bosses every ten floors), with somewhat low life and somewhat high attack to compensate...Overworld is a laughingstock. Have you ever died on the overworld?! I haven't. Even if I was disconnected in the middle of a field, I still didn't die. Except to fates, but those aren't even reliable, not to mention, they are once again easier to do in a party and often have multitude of simple mobs.

And SSS...is just an unmoving dummy. That's not even a "content" per see. How much challenge is there in hitting something that does literally nothing, that you will defeat in the two minutes whatever you do, so long as you actually do something and so long as you have proper level gear?

Team Battles: PVP???? Huh? (Looks at the Wolfs Pier)

Um...Since when do you go with a party member and fight against NPC's in Wolf's Pier?! At least read carefully when you make such a big thing of a response trying to show how ridiculous the poster is.

Tournament: Isn't that what the Feast is? And the new PVP stuff they launched? sure a more formal ladder could be formed...but...wait....isn't there already something like that?

No. That is not what the Feast is. Feast is a ranking ladder that spans over a long time. You can fight once, you can fight seven times, you can fight a thousand times. Feast is also strictly PvP, so you play against other players and, again, it is strictly group content, so you play it only WITH other players.

Also, now, the PvP is even LESS of an argument, as getting better at PvP does nothing for getting better at PvE, since the skills used are different.

With all due respect...I think you kinda missed the part where this is an MMORPG (Massive Multi-player Online Role playing Game)

You have missed nearly every point I was making in my post.
And I cannot understand people that use that ridiculous argument. MMO stands for "massive multiplayer online", not for "only group content". It just means that players connect the game to an outside server and utilize the same "zones" as each other, with means of interaction. It does not say anything about having them interact, and really, a strictly-solo game that would only have a "hub" city where you can talk with players would STILL be an MMO game.

Now yes...it would be nice to solo most content...but the content was specifically designed to be done in a group environment...aside from the main scenario quests and such.

Where have I said anything about soloing most or, really, any content that is actually there? I suggest an entire new type of content. One that can be done solo...or in a group. And not fixed group, either, so you can play as one, as two, as three, as five...Show me any content that have such freedom, not counting undersized parties for the obvious reason of it either being impossible or roflstomp?

I get where your coming from..but your foundation is very....weak.

You don't get where I'm coming from at all. You missed every single argument I made. Heck, you even contradicted yourself. Your first post was making an argument against me due to the team part of my suggestion, and then you went and talked about how this is an MMO...

The best way for players to get better...is to play with other players...always.

Go ahead and give counterarguments to what arguments I made as to why this is NOT the best way. Then I may actually consider this as more than a wish upon a star.

Yes its a mixed bag and randoms tend to be nasty for me....but its also how you meet good people too.

Being better player have nothing to do with whether you meet good or bad people, or any people at all. So can't really say I care about that. I do party content, I wouldn't be playing this game if I had no interest in that, whether small or large, but that's besides the point.

*TRYING to be helpful here*

I'm sorry, but trying doesn't cut it. You didn't put any effort into trying to read my first post and your response had nothing to do with anything that I wrote in it.

Don't get me wrong. I have no issues with constructive criticism per see, but it's not that if it talks about entirely different thing. And things like sarcasm, irony and similar are never helpful and are always used to put down the other side, and they are surefire way to tick me off.

Team Battles: PVP???? Huh? (Looks at the Wolfs Pier)

Such phrases are not generally used unless you want to show disdain for the other person, or at least, that you think they said something truly idiotic. It have nothing to do with being helpful. Trying to be helpful in this case would be "How does this differ from wolves pier?", to which I could actually respond properly (which, one way or another, I did...not like I should have to granted the difference is in the original post).

[basketofseals]

Are you serious?! I specifically mentioned palace of the dead as worthless, since whatever you can do solo, you can do a lot better with a party. Not to mention, there are many mobs that have barely any mechanics (except for the bosses every ten floors), with somewhat low life and somewhat high attack to compensate...

I'm going to have to seriously ask you what exactly you're expecting. Multiple tailor made encounters for each job?

There's literally no way to create even a relatively challenging solo encounter with only one design. Moreover, even if they did attempt this, jobs don't have enough mechanical complexity in order to make such an encounter engaging. With only one person, your mechanics are mostly limited to: don't stand here, kill add, interact with thing, gaze attacks, whatever we call that rolling countdown dice thing. I can't think of anything else really. Most mechanical difficulty is how mechanics interact with other members of your group.

[kikix12]

I'm going to have to seriously ask you what exactly you're expecting. Multiple tailor made encounters for each job?

Not at all. Some NPC's that represent certain "jobs" (whether or not based on player characters jobs) with stats that are based on the players levels. A simple progression similar to what simple progression players characters have. If certain NPC's couldn't actually be defeated by certain classes? Oh, well. One could leave them open for the challenge (and maybe proving the world wrong), or lock them out for those jobs.

There's literally no way to create even a relatively challenging solo encounter with only one design. Moreover, even if they did attempt this, jobs don't have enough mechanical complexity in order to make such an encounter engaging.

Did you level paladin and progress with his coliseum job quests? They may not have been difficult (because they were done with the progression in mind), but they were certainly enjoyable. If jobs don't have enough mechanical complexity to them for playing them to be fun, then I'm not sure you and I play this game for the same reasons. That's perfectly fine and all, but it's not an argument as to why it shouldn't be done. There is content in this game that others enjoy which I don't, like crafting, and it never crossed my mind to stop such content from being there. Because if the cost to demand is satisfying, why not? There is a lot of hardly used content, and part of it is with that content requiring a lot of players. Those that want to do it can't, cause there aren't enough people to play it with. In that respect, this would already be more successful, since the amount of players that would use it here or there as means of leveling solo would be reasonable. And it does have a possibility for a lot of group content, too. Something like Wolves Den as PvP hub, but for PvE instead.

With only one person, your mechanics are mostly limited to: don't stand here, kill add, interact with thing, gaze attacks, whatever we call that rolling countdown dice thing. I can't think of anything else really. Most mechanical difficulty is how mechanics interact with other members of your group.

How is that different from group encounter? There are few, like stack up or spread out, but they are ultimately just "be at the right place at the right time". And how are fighting games, I mean literally fighting games, like Tekken, doing so well if "simplicity" is bad?! It's not. Simple mechanics don't need to be easy. AoE's stacked one on top of another are harder to dodge than an AoE once in a blue moon. Add a different mechanic, like tethered orbs which you need to avoid touching you, and the complexity using only simple things go up, and so does the challenge. There are countless extremely engaging single player games. You know why?! Because people, unlike you apparently, realize that there are means of making stuff engaging and they try to achieve that, instead of giving up before the starting line.

Besides, I'm talking here about training individual characters abilities. Mechanics that are dependent on group clearing them have a full coverage with that kind of content. You can say all you want that these skills are useless in group content, but math proves anyone making such claim wrong.

[Cakekizyy]

I would love that, except for the challenge part.

[Dzian]

The main scenario should ALL be harder honestly. And I don't say that out of any form of epeenery or such.

The issue is the main scenario story quite frequently includes some very dire and grim situations even a few where practically all hope is lost. And yet the difficulty of it portrays absolutely none of that tension or desperation the story is trying to build up. It's completely disconnected.

Oh ma god the dragons are attacking ishgard panic and chaos everywhere. Enter steps of faith roflstomp it with absolutely no threat of losing... And walk out a hero. Really there was no threat at all.... threat? what threat? the ease completely destroys the tension and atmosphere the plot tries to create. and it's the same all the way through..

I also think every single instance or battle in the MSQ should be doable with friends precisely because this is an MMO and multiplayer game. and it'd be much more fun and enjoyable that way.

It just doenst make sense why 4 of us were there trying to all get into our own instance of cold steel when we could have grouped up and gone in together as friends and had a lot more fun doing so and also reduced the stress on the server becuase less total instances running... and then later in the msq, the naadam? man that would have been epic fun with friends..

MMO's are supposed to be a social game as well yet XIV frequently says Sorry you cant progress because your in a party with friends.... and must be an anti social solo player in order to progress, please leave all your friends behind.. this is not a single player game....

And then people wonder why the community is so superficial and anti social and no one really talks or has any loyalty to statics fcs or even linkshells and why all these groups of players always fall apart.